Captive reared frogs released back to wild

[BugBoy99]

Hello Again.

Thank you, they were quite cute. I initially started with 12 tadpoles, but they were the first tadpoles that I raised. I lost one tadpole due to a mishap, with the gravel vacuum that I use for my aquariums. Unfortunately, I thought that tadpoles would behave in the same manner as fish, and one of them was sucked in by the vacuum. I also lost two froglets, and I don't know why. So, I eventually released nine froglets. The froglets seemed to be extremely fragile, and I could not get any of them to eat. I believe that this weakness probably came about as a result of the lack of food variety I gave them whilst they were still in the tadpole stage. I fed them entirely on Fish flake, and I believe that that may have had some nutritional shortcomings.

Skeletal Frog, As the froglets were so weak, they did not jump much. So, unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to experience their reputed jumping abilities. However, it is nearing our rainy season, and the pools are forming once more. I hope to raise some of these tadpoles more successfully this year, and then I will definitely see if their reputation for jumping really suits them.

Thank You So Much for the remarks and questions.

[BugBoy99]

The second species that I raised from tadpoles was Xenopus laevis.

I found the tadpoles, strangely enough, in the same pool that I found the Ptychadena tadpoles. I'm still not sure exactly how the tadpoles made their way to the pool, as it is only abut eight inches deep, and maybe three feet long. However, it was directly after Cyclone Irina, I surmise that the tadpoles either came to be there:

1. as a result of one of the forays that Xenopus are known to make in wet weather.
2. The pool that I found them in is part of a dry stream bed, and further up the stream bed there is still water, but stagnant water, so I presume that a pair of Xenopus laevis may have spawned upstream in the water there, and that the eggs may then have been washed into the pool, by the torrential rains.

However they came to be there, this pool was full of tadpoles, there was easily a couple of hundred tadpoles. I scooped two small aquarium nets full, and it turned out that I had about eighty tadpoles. These were particularly interesting tadpoles to raise, although they are quite messy. I kept them in a fifty litre aquarium that was about three quarters of the way full.

I fed them on:

• powder fry food, which is high in protein, and especially formulated for optimum growth in young fish
• Tropical fish flake, which i powdered in a ziplock baggie, by rolling it with a rolling pin
• Powdered shrimp food
• and pond fish pellets, which I also powdered

I did complete water changes almost every day, and partial water changes were the rule. They grew very quickly and, within a month, 76 of them metamorphosed. I only lost four tadpoles, and I released 74 of them into the wild. Despite the fact, that it took quite a lot of effort, I would say that these tadpoles were particularly easy to raise.

Tadpole


Frog


I also tried a brief experiment, after reading an article about tadpoles being raised in rooibos tea. I switched about six tadpoles over to rooibos tea(dechlorinated) instead of water. The tadpoles took longer to metamorphose, but were larger, had stronger claws, and darker colouration, than their pure water counterparts. In the following picture, the frog raised in tea is a day old, and the one raised in water is a week old.



That's all for now.

[numpty]

Nice! Aquatic clawed frogs in your backyard (well, maybe not literally). And the tadpoles look like little catfish!

Care to share the details of the rooibos tea experiment? How diluted, would you say? What are the specific benefits, as studied? Maybe frog breeders already knows about this, but I don't raise tadpoles so know nothing about such things. Is this based on scholarly research?

I have my eye on an almost-dry concrete water tank up the hill which contains some Polypedates tadpoles. If the level gets critical I might decide to "rescue" a few and raise them through metamorphosis. Not sure yet.

Interesting posts. Thanks!

[BugBoy99]

Nice! Aquatic clawed frogs in your backyard (well, maybe not literally).

Well, you're not too far off base. The pool where I caught the tadpoles, is about two minutes walk from the back of my house.

Personally, I mixed the rooibos tea at a ratio of two teabags to eight litres of water(the first time I filled the tank). All the partial tea changes were made with tea that was mixed at a ratio of one teabag to eight litres of water. I did it this way, because the dechlorinating agent I used was used by adding three drops to four litres of water. So, I placed my tea bags in a two-litre jug, which I filled with boiling water and then I supplemented those two litres with six litres of cold water. The eight litres were then cold enough for immediate use. One advantage that I found with the rooibos tea, was that the water did not go smelly, and dirty so quickly. The food that I fed the tadpoles turned the water into a liquid with the consistency of soup. This water had to be changed every day, for the well-being of the tadpoles. It also smelled terrible! The rooibos, on the other hand, retained its thin consistency, And, a partial water change every two to three days was quite sufficient.

I based my "experiment" on this article BBC News - Exotic frogs reared in redbush tea in Gloucestershire. But, to truly conduct a proper experiment, you would have to remove as many of the variables as possible. You would have to be sure that all the tadpoles came from the same spawning, that they all have the same genetic variability, and that they had exactly the same food, that the tea was consistently of the same brand, etc. etc. I would greatly like to perform an appropriate experiment on this topic one day.

To be honest, I'm quite the amateur when it comes to raising tadpoles. But, I think that this would be an interesting experiment to conduct, with many possible advantages.

I have my eye on an almost-dry concrete water tank up the hill which contains some Polypedates tadpoles. If the level gets critical I might decide to "rescue" a few and raise them through metamorphosis. Not sure yet.

Honestly, I would have 'rescued' some of those tadpoles long ago. Almost, as soon as I knew they were there. If you do decide to 'rescue' some, please post some pictures I'd like to see them.

Thanks for your interest.

[numpty]

Honestly, I would have 'rescued' some of those tadpoles long ago. Almost, as soon as I knew they were there. If you do decide to 'rescue' some, please post some pictures I'd like to see them.

I probably would, but for a few reasons. Firstly, I was just recently in hospital and am not carrying things as easily as usual. Glass tank, water bottles ... maybe not the best idea. Also, that particular frog may or may not be an exotic. There are two Polypedates species in Taiwan, almost indistinguishable from each other, but one is a recent introduction from Hong Kong. I'm pretty sure the ones up the hill are indigenous, but how dumb would I feel if I fattened up and released a bunch of super-invaders. Lastly, it's raining right now, so maybe they don't need my help anymore!

[BugBoy99]

Hello.

Those are all great reasons. I hope that you feel better soon and that, when you do, you'll have the opportunity to keep and raise some tadpoles. To me, it is one of the greatest experiences in the world.

God Bless,
Joh

[Namio]

Hello.

Those are all great reasons. I hope that you feel better soon and that, when you do, you'll have the opportunity to keep and raise some tadpoles. To me, it is one of the greatest experiences in the world.

God Bless,
Joh

Thank you Joh! It's been a great joy following you and others on this thread. Keep them coming!